Sustainable Seafood Expo 2016

Braised Cayucos Abalone “Escabeche” Chorizo Pamplona, Our Garden’s Sofrito

Sustainable Seafood Expo 2016

Chefs, Fishermen, Local Experts and Educators will be on hand to explain fisheries, habitats, and species management to promote and sustain wild, diverse, and healthy ocean ecosystems that will last long into the future.

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Expo 2016 is designed to help consumers choose the right fish for their dish – one that’s healthy and has a positive impact on the marine environment.

Sustainable Seafood Expo 2016

On Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Port of Los Angeles, attendees will enjoy cutting-edge seafood samples, chef demonstrations, educational activities, cash bar, wine wall and much more at the 3rd Annual Sustainable Seafood Expo.

Actor Adrian Grenier, co-founder of the Lonely Whale Foundation, advocating ocean health and the wellbeing of marine wildlife, will be the keynote speaker and VIP Dinner host.

Featured Chefs

  • Bernard Ibarra, Terranea Resort
  • Tyler Gugliotta, Baran’s 2239
  • Dustin Trani, J. Trani’s Ristorante
  • Paul Buchanan, Primal Alchemy
  • Pete Lehmar, Gladstone’s Long Beach
  • Roberto Flores, 22nd St. Landing Seafood Grill & Bar
  • Trevor Cook, California Scuba Chef
  • Jim Tate, Parker’s Lighthouse
  • Jimmy Ng, Harbor College Culinary Arts

Sustainable Seafood Expo 2016

Attendees will learn how fish should be caught or farmed and how to lessen the impact on the marine environment by making savvy seafood choices. General admission tickets are $40, use promo code TASTE during checkout here to get an additional $5 discount.

Sustainable Seafood Expo 2016

The chefs will be serving their unique seafood samples throughout the event including scallops, mussels, abalone, sablefish (black cod), rockfish, shrimp, calamari, oysters and much more.

A special alfresco VIP Dinner, featuring locally sourced seafood and seasonal fare prepared by Chef Dustin Trani will follow the Expo at 5 PM. See the fabulous seafood-centric menu and purchase dinner tickets here.

Sustainable Seafood Expo 2016

Serving California Red Abalone at the Sustainable Seafood Expo, Chef Bernard Ibarra of Terranea Resort will delight the guests with his ever-engaging cooking demonstration. Here he shares his beautiful sous-vide recipe for healthy, sustainable, and ocean-friendly Ocean Rose California Red Abalone from The Abalone Farm in Cayucos, California. The Chef recommends sous-vide as an excellent method for cooking abalone.

Chef Bernard’s Cayucos Abalone Recipe

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Black Bean Spaghetti for the Whole Family #meatless #glutenfree

Black Bean Spaghetti for the Whole Family #meatless #glutenfree

Black Bean Spaghetti for the Whole Family

The nutritional facts are hard to believe, until one realizes that this spaghetti really isn’t pasta at all, but black beans masquerading as noodles.

Black Bean Spaghetti is made from 92% black beans and 8% water and has 25 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber in every serving. Generally, dried pastas have 5 to 7 grams of protein and 2 to 3 grams of fiber per serving. Black bean spaghetti’s taste is mild while the tooth is delightfully chewy.

The whole family will benefit from organic noodles packed with higher protein and fiber, and lower net carbs. Cook the spaghetti about seven minutes then plate two ways: A buttery-cheesy “caterpillar” will appeal to the kids while black bean spaghetti topped with a complementary avocado mash and fresh salsa will be a big hit with the adults.

Black Bean Spaghetti Recipes

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Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Luxardo Glaze, Cherries, and Candied Orange

Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Luxardo Glaze, Cherries, and Candied Orange
Olive Oil Bundt Cake
Luxardo Glaze, Cherries, and Candied Orange

Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Luxardo Glaze, Cherries, and Candied Orange

Inspired by last week’s Evolving Manhattan Cocktail with Luxardo Ice Sphere, here Maraschino Liqueur shows up as a glaze for a not-too-sweet bundt cake featuring fruity extra-virgin olive oil.

Luxardo Maraschino, a liqueur distilled from the leaves, pits, stems and skins of sour marasca cherries has an almond-like, subtly bitter complex cherry flavor.

Nicely browned on the outside, with a soft moist interior, the simple yet impressive cake is enhanced with candied orange and those luxurious luxardo cherries and their heavenly juice. And a complementary basil garnish is much more interesting than the ubiquitous mint sprig.

Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Luxardo Glaze Recipe

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Evolving Manhattan Cocktail, Luxardo Ice Sphere

Manhattan Cocktail with a Luxardo Ice Sphere

The Evolving Manhattan Cocktail
With Luxardo Ice Sphere

As time passes and the Luxardo ice sphere melts slowly into the Manhattan cocktail, the original drink morphs into another, namely the Brooklyn.

One of the five drinks named for the New York City boroughs, the Brooklyn is much lesser known than its neighbor from across the East River, the Manhattan. The distinguishing ingredient in the Brooklyn is Luxardo Maraschino, a liqueur distilled from the leaves, pits, stems and skins of sour marasca cherries. It is not overly sweet with an almond-like, subtly bitter complex cherry flavor.

The first sips of this Knob Creek Manhattan are delightfully fierce and quite boozy with rich, woody, caramel Kentucky bourbon flavors only slightly tempered by the fruit and spice attributes of French red vermouth. The Maurin Rouge tastes of ripe cherries and raisins with spice notes of cinnamon, cardamom and clove. A couple dashes of Trinidad’s Angostura Bitters, add a distinctive herbal flavor and a layer of complexity.

The Evolving Manhattan Cocktail With Luxardo Ice Sphere

When sipped slowly, over time another cocktail all together will unfold. One that is less intense, as the ice has melted, flooding the bourbon with the distinct flavor of Luxardo Maraschino and a hint of orange bitters.

The Manhattan has mellowed while the characteristics of the Brooklyn have emerged. Now is the time to nibble on those authentic luxurious Italian cherries. Dark, dense, chewy, and sweet-tart, they’re surprisingly worth the $20 for an 8 oz. jar.

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One Ingredient Transforms Classic Greek Salad

Try Adding Sweet Peaches to a Savory Greek Salad

Classic Greek Salad with Peaches

In an ephemeral memory, I remember her disappointment when being served a Greek salad long ago at some swanky Chicago restaurant. It had all the requisite ingredients, but was composed with lettuce. Lettuce, she told us, was not supposed to be in a Greek salad.

With absolutely no Greek ancestry whatsoever, my wonderful mother was an ardent fan of Greek food. When she would return to Chicago to visit family and friends, dinner out with my Aunt Alice for Athenian chicken was on the top of her list.

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